Nestled in the southwestern section of the mountains, Cashiers
NC is a beautiful,
upscale little resort town that has welcomed visitors for over 150 years. Nineteen
easily accessible pristine waterfalls in the immediate area are one
of the main attractions as well as the numerous restaurants and
gift, antique
and craft shops that line the streets coming into town.
Cashiers has long had a reputation as a mountain retreat, and
as early as 1850, people from nearby South Carolina flocked to this
region during the summer to escape the hot and humid lowland
weather. Eventually investment in second, vacation homes started and
this transformed the Cashiers area into the affluent resort
destination it is today. No one knows for sure the origin of the
name Cashiers but one good guess is that it was a crossroads where miners (this part of the mountain is known for it's mines and
gemstones) cashed out after success in the field.

Near Cashiers itself area number of beautiful mountain lakes,
including Lake Toxaway Lake Glenville, and Sapphire Lake, and the
surrounding communities of Lake Toxaway, Glenville and Sapphire. The
Sapphire Valley Ski Areais also located in Sapphire and has two
runs open to the public during the ski season.
Cashiers is also known for a bizarre annual phenomenon called
"Shadow of the Bear" that occurs on the
side of the 4,930 ft. Whiteside Mountain. Each day from late October
through early November, and then again from mid-February through
early March, the shadow of an enormous "bear", caused by the
configuration of nearby mountain ridge tops, casts its shadow for 30
minutes (starting at 5:30 p.m.). A major tourist sight, the best
place to view the shadow is off Highway 64 at Rhodes Big View
Overlook.